FBI defends site of its digging operations in Linden

The FBI responded Thursday to claims by death row inmate Wesley Shermantine that agents are excavating in the wrong Linden well for murder victims that he and boyhood friend Loren Herzog buried long ago.

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By The Record

recordnet.com

By The Record

Posted Jan. 24, 2013 at 4:42 PM

By The Record

Posted Jan. 24, 2013 at 4:42 PM

» Social News

The FBI responded Thursday to claims by death row inmate Wesley Shermantine that agents are excavating in the wrong Linden well for murder victims that he and boyhood friend Loren Herzog buried long ago.

“Shermantine’s recollections have occasionally proved to be inaccurate,” FBI spokeswoman Gina Swankie said in an emailed statement.

“Only with thorough investigation and careful consideration of all information available have we been able to locate a site that offers the best chance of recovering victim remains,” she said.

The FBI and Drill Tech Drilling and Shoring, Inc., have been at work at the current site along Flood Road near Linden since Jan. 7. They began excavation in earnest on Thursday after days of careful preparation. Shermantine accuses the FBI of trying to discredit him by digging in the wrong place and coming up empty handed.

Read Friday’s Record for more on this story by staff writer Scott Smith.